From rec.arts.sf-lovers Thu Dec 13 11:53:10 1990 Xref: herkules.sssab.se rec.arts.sf-lovers:20145 rec.arts.books:7177 Path: herkules.sssab.se!isy!liuida!sunic!mcsun!uunet!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!mintaka!olivea!samsung!news.cs.indiana.edu!att!cbnewsj!ecl From: ecl@cbnewsj.att.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf-lovers,rec.arts.books,soc.culture.australian Subject: PURSUIT OF MIRACLES by George Turner Message-ID: <1990Dec12.140059.11527@cbnewsj.att.com> Date: 12 Dec 90 14:00:59 GMT Followup-To: rec.arts.sf-lovers Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 75 A PURSUIT OF MIRACLES by George Turner Aphelion, 1990, ISBN 1-875346-00-7, A$12.95. A book review by Evelyn C. Leeper Copyright 1990 Evelyn C. Leeper Question: What country has as many English speakers as Canada, has hosted two World Science Fiction Conventions, has produced one of the definitive reference works on science fiction, and *still* gets forgotten when people talk about science fiction authors? Answer: Australia. So as you might expect, George Turner, an Australian science fiction author, is virtually unknown in the United States. If this collection of eight stories, published by a small press in Adelaide, is any indication, someone should do something about this. The title story, "A Pursuit of Miracles," is set in a future mixing two classic science fiction ideas: "non-legals" (artificial humans) and telempathy. This is probably the best-known story as well, as it was commissioned by Terry Carr for one of the UNIVERSE anthologies. "Not in Front of the Children" looks at the old adage that "death [and age] is the only obscenity" through a science fictional approach by postulating a future society in which this is true. "Feedback" is a marvelous exercise in solipsism, as covoluted as any labyrinth. "Shut the Door When You Go Out" is sort of Thomas Wolfe ("You can never go home again") meets Gaia, but a bit short and insubstantial. (Turner says it was done in a single night. As someone else told him, it reads like it, but there's a place in the world for pieces like this as well.) "On the Nursery Floor" looks at supermen. The influence of such works as Olaf Stapledon's ODD JOHN and Philip Wylie's GLADIATOR seems obvious, and though Turner's story is well-written, it doesn't add anything new to this genre. "In a Petri Dish Upstairs" is a typical space station rebellion story, but also a carefully drawn picture of the sort of insulated (and insular) society that could develop in an orbital colony. I find it interesting to speculate on how much Australia's own history, isolated from much of the rest of the world for so long, was drawn upon for this story. Certainly part of what makes Turner's stories attractive is their different perspective. "Generation Gap" (as Turner says) has been workshopped by two different groups who couldn't agree on what it was or what to do with it. I agree with them--there may be some valid observations on art and artists here, but they're buried. "The Fittest" is the "germ story" of Turner's novel THE SEA AND SUMMER, though he claims the novel is not nearly as depressing as the book. (Undoubtedly the novel is also published only in Australia, so I can't say.) It is technically the most ambitious of the stories in this volume, with multiple points of view, and Turner handles them well. It is also, I think, uniquely Australian in its treatment of evolution, isolation, and the connectedness of the two. On the whole this is a rewarding collection. While perhaps not every Australian author writes differently from American or British authors, Turner does, and vive la difference! Whether this book is available in the United States is not clear. LOCUS reviewed it, so I suspect some specialty stores would have it, though you're more likely to find it on the West Coast than the East (for obvious geographic reasons). In any case, you can write the publisher: Aphelion Publications, P. O. Box 619, North Adelaide, S. A. 5006, AUSTRALIA. Unfortunately, they don't take credit cards, so send either a check in Australian pounds or do what I did and send cash (A$12.95 is about US$10). (They say their bank can also handle checks in United States dollars, but over a certain amount there is a service charge. Personally, in the many years that my family has been sending mail, we've never had a letter lost-- and this includes thrice weekly letters to various other countries. So I'm perfectly willing to put a $10 bill in an envelope with a letter and hope for the best.) (Follow-ups directed to rec.arts.sf-lovers.) Evelyn C. Leeper | +1 908-957-2070 | att!mtgzy!ecl or ecl@mtgzy.att.com From /tmp/sf.4258 Tue Feb 1 04:11:08 1994 Xref: liuida rec.arts.sf.reviews:316 rec.arts.books:61889 alt.books.reviews:925 Path: liuida!sunic!pipex!uunet!psinntp!dg-rtp!sheol!dont-reply-to-paths From: Evelyn.Chimelis.Leeper@att.com Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews,rec.arts.books,alt.books.reviews Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Subject: THE DESTINY MAKERS by George Turner Approved: sfr%sheol@concert.net (rec.arts.sf.reviews moderator) Message-ID: <9308051423.ZM1409@mtgpfs1.mt.att.com> Date: 09 Aug 93 23:03:52 GMT Lines: 44 THE DESTINY MAKERS by George Turner A book review by Evelyn C. Leeper Copyright 1993 Evelyn C. Leeper This story, like many other by Turner, is set in a future, pre- holocaust Australia. There's been no bang, but the world seems to be going through one long drawn-out whimper. Politicians spend time trying to figure out how to stretch Earth's resources over an ever-growing population. There are technical advances, but on the whole Turner paints an Australia of not- quite-enough for everyone--except of course the upper class. Shortages and substitutes are the order of the day. Only the veneer of equality, of "we're all in this together" spirit keeps the lid on. But in Australia the government has even more problems--or at least the prime minister does. Having illegally rejuvenated his father (in a world bursting at the seams, extending lifetimes is not considered a good idea), he then discovers that his daughter is illegally pregnant. (Everything, it seems, is controlled. But everything has to be to keep the world together.) Harry Ostrow, a policeman of the lower-middle class, finds himself called upon not only to protect these high-level politicians, but to extricate them--and perhaps the world-- from the mess they've gotten into. The background of THE DESTINY MAKERS is well thought-out and developed, but the story itself is somewhat weak, and the resolution for some of the plot threads contrived and rushed. The main idea of the end might have made a good novel in itself, but here it's wasted as almost a throwaway. It could be that Turner will take this idea and expand it in a future novel (as he expanded "In the Nursery" to BRAIN CHILD.) But as it is, I can recommend THE DESTINY MAKERS only for its description of a seedy, run-down future facing the abyss. (It is unlikely that a sequel will appear soon, since it is reported that George Turner has been hospitalized following a stroke.) %T The Destiny Makers %A George Turner %C New York %D February 1993 %I AvoNova %O hardback, US$20. %G ISBN 0-688-12187-X %P 321pp Evelyn C. Leeper | +1 908 957 2070 | ecl@mtgpfs1.att.com / Evelyn.Leeper@att.com From /home/matoh/tmp/sf-rev Fri Aug 22 16:24:17 1997 From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Jul 15 23:07:06 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lejonet.se!newsfeed1.telia.com!masternews.telia.net!newsfeed.internetmci.com!dciteleport.com!europa.clark.net!newsxfer3.itd.umich.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!news!wex From: agapow@latcs1.cs.latrobe.edu.au (p-m agapow) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: "A Pursuit of Miracles" by George Turner Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Date: 23 Jun 1997 21:47:28 GMT Organization: Calvin Coolidge Home for Dead Biologists Lines: 55 Approved: wex@media.mit.edu Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: tinbergen.media.mit.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.sf.reviews:1370 "A Pursuit of Miracles" by George Turner A Postview, copyright 1997 p-m agapow A collection of short stories, including: "Not In Front of the Children," an exploration of the generation gap between the the long-lived and their ancestors; "In a Petri Dish Upstairs," a deviant orbital culture hatches a plot against their earth-bound masters which neither side is prepared for; "On the Nursery Floor," an experiment to breed super-intelligent children is disastrously successful. Given Turner's recent death, it's a good occasion to review one of his less-known, although not lesser, works. Primarily known for his bleak, morally dense novels (such as "Genetic Soldier", "Beloved Son", "The Sea and Summer"), this volume is to my knowledge his only short story collection. Certainly some of it doesn't live up to the heights of his best novels. But ignoring this backwards praise, these short stories are of a piece with with the books: black, powerful and accomplished. At times Turner's age shows in the words he used, or the way he drew young characters, a slightly old-fashioned (not conservative) style. At worst this will be only disconcerting to the reader. It is also true that he was not one for exploring technology itself. A medical treatment for extending life is just that, a genetic manipulation just a bit of science. Turner did not gloss over the details like (say) Harlan Ellison might, but he was clearly not interested in them but their consequences. The kernel of the stories is the idea, not the technical or scientific idea (a la Forward, Egan, Bear) but the social idea: e.g. what use is a group of supergeniuses, show me a world with 90% unemployment. "We badly need a literature of considered ideas," said Turner in an epilogue, chafing at the over-abundance of wish-fulfilment escapist SF. And this need he pursued with vigour and skill. Given that many of the stories read like short novels (no two-page wonders here) it's not surprising that many of his novels are can be directly seen here: "Brainchild" shows up as "On the Nursery Floor," an offshoot of "Yesterday's Men" as "In a Petri Dish Upstairs;" "Genetic Soldier" in "Shut the Door When You Go Out;" "The Sea and Summer" gestating in "The Fittest." Although not the strongest short story collection ever and maybe not up to level of some of Turner's novels, "A Pursuit of Miracles" is still very good. It holds extra interest for those who have read his novels and wish to see their roots. [***] and Sean Connery as James Bond on the Sid and Nancy scale. %A George Turner %B A Pursuit of Miracles %I Aphelion Publications %C Adelaide %D 1990 %G ISBN 1-875346-00-7 %P 209pp %O paperback, Aus$12.95 paul-michael agapow (agapow@latcs1.oz.au), La Trobe Uni, Infocalypse "There is no adventure, there is no romance, there is only trouble and desire." [archived at http://www.cs.latrobe.edu.au/~agapow/Postviews/] From rec.arts.sf.reviews Thu Oct 30 14:23:35 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!eru.mt.luth.se!feed1.news.luth.se!luth.se!feed1.news.erols.com!howland.erols.net!netnews.com!newsswitch.lcs.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!not-for-mail From: agapow@latcs1.cs.latrobe.edu.au (p-m agapow) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: "Yesterday's Men" by George Turner Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Date: 16 Oct 1997 17:39:55 -0400 Organization: Calvin Coolidge Home for Dead Biologists Lines: 51 Approved: wex@media.mit.edu Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: tinbergen.media.mit.edu X-Newsreader: Gnus v5.3/Emacs 19.34 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.sf.reviews:1574 "Yesterday's Men" by George Turner A Postview, copyright p-m agapow 1997 It is the 21st century, after a nuclear war and the rebuilding of the world in the image of the Ethical Culture. While abiding by a code of non-interference, war is forbidden, impossible and unthinkable. Yet there are those who say that the past should be understood not forgotten. And so, deep in the jungles of New Guinea, a experiment is hatched to refight World War II. "Yesterday's Men" is the third in the "Ethical Culture" series, the previous entries being "Beloved Son" and "Vaneglory." The series as a whole has been accused, correctly in some respects, of being surly and too bleak. "Yesterday's Men" is less guilty of this, while still being tough and black. There's a lot going on here. The secret government manuevering to stage the experiment, a film crew taking part with an eye to commercial concerns, the machinations of the seemingly alien Orbitals ... there are wheels within wheels, yet the detail doesn't get overwhelming. In Turner's world, everyone has an agenda yet no one can fully control the outcome. After a literary diet of omniscient ubermensch (with optional dose of oh-so-trendy angst), the fallible characters are refreshing. And although Turner does not use his usual Melbourne settings, the New Guinea highlands are a claustrophobic and well set stage. There is a small problem or two. Some background details are contrived so as to make the staging of the experiment, and the subsequent plot, easier. (A contemporary police unit that is _just_ like a WWII patrol?) Turner's voice and dialogue does have a slightly old fashioned feel, although this is far less pronounced than in his (say) "Brain Child". However, the quality of the surrounding material is such that these are very minor complaints. For those who have not read the previous books, "Yesterday's Men" does largely stand alone. Literate and brutal at the same time, it's reminder of how much we lost when George Turner died. Recommended. [***/interesting] and Leonard Elmore on the Sid and Nancy scale. %A George Turner %T Yesterday's Men %I Sphere %C London %D 1983 %G ISBN 0-7221-8644-4 %P 223pp %O paperback, Aus$10.95 paul-michael agapow (agapow@latcs1.oz.au), La Trobe Uni, Infocalypse "There is no adventure, there is no romance, there is only trouble and desire." [archived at http://www.cs.latrobe.edu.au/~agapow/Postviews/]